FAMILIES have blasted Tesco for scrapping popular Clubcard deals on sweets and chocolates during the cost of living crisis.
The store has ditched its popular three for £1.20 promotion on chocolate bars which normally cost between 60p and 70p, including Yorkies, Kinder Bueno and Bounty bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Bags of kids’ sweets such as shrimps and bananas, raspberry mushrooms, milk bottles, dolly mixtures and mini jelly beans used to be three for £1, but are now sold at 50p each.
The disappearance of the deals coincides with new legislation that bans chocolate and junk food being sold at checkouts or around the entrances of supermarkets – to encourage healthy eating.
The new law originally included a ban on multibuy deals on chocolates and sweets, but the Government has delayed this for a year to help families with soaring grocery costs.
But Tesco said it would bring in the multibuy ban this month anyway.
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Customers have taken to social media to blast the change, with one disappointed parent saying on Twitter: “The Friday treat for the kids is over, ‘little’ changes like this are massive for some families.”
Another said: “Tesco removing their three for £1.20 chocolate bars is egregious.
"This cost of living crisis is no joke.”
Earlier this year Tesco said it was pressing ahead with the multibuy ban for health reasons, but added: “Customers will no longer need to purchase more HFSS (high in fat, salt and sugar) products than they need to access great value."
Meanwhile Asda continues to offer multibuy sweet deals, such as its current two for £3 deal on multipacks of Haribo star mix, and Iceland offers two for £8 on Swizzels sweet tub.
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Consumer champion Martyn James said: “The supermarkets have made a big deal about helping people through the cost of living crisis by offering more bargains and own brand deals, but they've also been quietly cutting some of their most popular deals too.
"Let's face it, we all need a little treat in these grim times, so cutting the sweet deals has a hint of the Grinch about it.”
But Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, defended Tesco, saying: “Tesco should be applauded for voluntarily scrapping its multibuys and try to limit the sweets it sells.
“Sweet treats are a principle reason for children becoming obese in their early years and every measure designed to limit the sugar they consume is valid.
"As Tesco itself would say 'every little helps '.”
Tesco declined to formally comment, but earlier this year its chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said: “At Tesco, we passionately believe that healthier food should be more accessible to everyone, no matter your budget – and today’s announcement is a key step towards that.
“With more than eight in ten people reporting a rise in their cost of living, value is the number one factor that drives choice in our stores.
"We will always make sure our products are competitively priced. But we can’t stop there.
“Obesity levels are rising among adults and children and the health of our nation must also be at the top of our agenda.”
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Earlier this month The Sun reported that a major change is coming into force to Clubcard vouchers within weeks, affecting Tesco shoppers.
As it stands, Tesco's delivery saver codes are worth three Clubcard vouchers for people who use the scheme, but from next month, that will no longer be the case.
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